Advanced Electronics of Solar Photovoltaic System (MRET

301) 3rd Semester-2018

1. Periodic table
a. How you can define the position of an element using Periods and Groups in a Periodic table? b.
Formation of valence bands, conduction bands and bandgap

2. Crystal structure
a. Define lattice and unit cell b. What are the lattice structure of c-Si, a-Si, CIGS, CdTe, etc. c. If we peak
hard spheres in a bcc lattice such that the atom in the centre just touches the atoms at this corner of the
cube, find the fraction of the bcc unit cell volume filled with hard spheres. [example 1] d. Describe a
conventional method of defining the various planes in a crystal.

3. The energy momentum diagram

a. What is effective mass of an electron? b. Write the equation of energy of an electron in
conduction band of a semiconductor crystal. c. Sketch and describe the energy band structure of
one direct and one indirect semiconductor

4. Density of states function

a. Write the equation of the density of allowed electron quantum states, using the model of a
free
electron with mass m bounded in a three dimensional infinite potential well. b.
Calculate the density of states per unit volume with energies between 0 and 1
ev. c. Find the equation of
i. the density of quantum states in the conduction band and ii. the density
of quantum states in the valence band 5. Statistical mechanics
a. Write the Fermi-Dirac distribution or probability function that gives the probability of a quantum
state
at the energy E will be occupied by an electron. b. Show the variation of the Fermi-Dirac probability
function with temperature c. What is Fermi level and Fermi energy? d. Determine the probability
that an energy level 3kT above the Fermi energy is occupied by an electron
for T= 300K. e. Calculate the temperature at which there is a 1 percent probability that a state
0.30 eV below the
Fermi energy level will not contain an electron. Assume that the Fermi energy level for a particular material
is 6.25 eV and that the electrons in this material follow the Fermi-Dirac distribution function. 6. The
semiconductor in equilibrium
a. What does thermal equilibrium of a semiconductor imply?
b. Write an equation for distribution of
 i. electrons in the conduction band with respect to energy. ii. holes in the
valence band with respect to energy [3.1.1] c. For an intrinsic semiconductor
derive the thermal equilibrium concentration of
i. electrons in the conduction band ii. holes in the valence band [3.1.2] d. Calculate the probability
that a state in the conduction band is occupied by an electron and calculate
the thermal equilibrium electron concentration in silicon at T= 300 K. Assume the Fermi energy
level is 0.25 ev below the conduction band. The value of Nc for silicon at T= 300 K is Nc= 2.8×1019
cm-3 e. Intrinsic carrier concentration
i. Derive the equation of intrinsic carrier concentration ii. Calculate the intrinsic carrier concentration
of gallium arsenide at T=3000K [the effective density of states function in the conduction band and
valence bands are 4.7 × 1017cm−3, 7.0 × 1018cm−3respectively. The band gap energy is 1.42eV]
f. Derive an equation for intrinsic Fermi level position and show that position changes with
variations
of effective masses of electrons and
holes
g. Calculate the position of the intrinsic Fermi level with respect to the centre of the band gap in
silicon
at T=3000K [Effective electron and hole masses are 1.08 and 0.56 times of the rest mass of an
electron, Band gap energy is 1.12eV] [example 3.2] 7. The extrinsic semiconductor
a. What is an extrinsic semiconductor? b. Calculate the thermal equilibrium concentrations of
electrons and holes for a given Fermi energy.
Consider silicon at T = 300 K so that N, = 2.8 x 1019 cm-3 and N, = 1.04 x l019 cm-3. Assume that the
Fermi energy is 0.25 eV below the conduction hand. If we assume that the bandgap energy of
silicon is 1. 12 eV, then the Fermi energy will be 0.87 eV above the valence band. c. Derive the
thermal equilibrium concentrations of electrons and holes in conduction and valence band
respectively in extrinsic semiconductor d. Discuss the positions of fermi level in n and p type
semiconductor based on the above equations and
Fermi level definition e. Show that the product of equilibrium concentrations of electrons and holes
for extrinsic and intrinsic
semiconductors are
same. 8. The pn junction
a. Describe the build in potential formation in a pn junction b. What is depletion region, space
charge region and quasi neutral region? c. Find the equation of built in potential barrier of a pn
junction d. Define diffusion and drift current in a semiconductor e. Why do solar cells have a
negative short circuit current (Isc)? f. When the diffusion and drift currents neutralizes each other
in solar cell? g. An abrupt silicon p-n junction consists of a p-type region containing 2 x
1016 cm-3 acceptors and an n-type region containing also 1016 cm-3 acceptors in addition to
1017 cm-3 donors.
i. Calculate the thermal equilibrium density of electrons and holes in the p-type
region
 as well as both densities in the n-type region. ii. Calculate the built-in potential of the p-n
junction iii. Calculate the built-in potential for 400K h. Calculate the built in potential barrier in a
pn junction at T=3000K [doping concentrations Na = 1 ×
1018cm−3 , Nd = 1 × 1015cm−3 and ni = 1.5 × 1010cm−3 [example 6.1] i.
Sketch the IV curve, equivalent circuit and symbol of a solar cell
i. Write the current equation of a pn junction diode and a solar cell ii. From the standard equation of a
solar cell find the short circuit current, open circuit voltage,
fill factor equations j. Why crystalline silicon solar cell
is called diffusion device? 9. Efficiency limits, losses and
measurement
a. Describe the Shockley–Queisser limit or Efficiency limit of a solar cell based on
semiconductors b. What are the parasitic resistances and how they are formed in a solar cell?
i. Using equations describe the effect of parasitic resistances on IV curve and
performance of
solar cell. c.
Temperature effect
i. Why bandgap slightly decreases with increase of temperature or current increases ii.
How open circuit voltage affected with increase of temperature iii. Describe the effect of
temperature on solar cell+ math iv. NOCT and real cell temperature finding+ math d.
What is sheet resistivity?
i. Derive the equation to determine the minimum grid spacing for a given set of cell
parameters
+ math 10. Standard silicon solar cell
technology
a. Describe the steps of solar module
preparation
i. Sand to metallurgical grade silicon ii. MGS to
SGS
iii. SGS to single crystal wafers iv.
Single crystal wafers to solar cells
v. Solar cell to solar module b. What is etching, texturing,
edge isolation, PSG removal? c. What is anti reflection coating?
Why is it necessary in solar cell?
i. What design parameters should be considered in designing and selecting an ARC
material? d. How surface states are created at solar cell surfaces?
i. How the surface states reduce the output current from a solar cell? ii. What is Surface
Recombination Velocity (SRV)? iii. How to reduce the surface states and effect of this in solar
cells e. Sketch and describe the operation of a standard solar cell composed of p type, n type,
ARC layer,
surface passivation, metal connections, BSF, etc. with band diagram f. Why n type
 layer is generally on the top of solar cell and why it is very thin 11. Thin film
solar cells
a. General
i. Define diffusion length, Light absorption coefficient, absorption depth, spectral
response,
spectral efficiency ii. homo-junction, hetero-junction, reason of discontinuities at the
heterojunction bands iii. Describe the Beer-Lambert Law for light absorption
coefficient and thickness of light

absorber of solar cell b. a-Si:H i. What are the characteristics of a-Si and advantages over c-

Si over bandgap, light absorption,

thickness, deposition, etc.? ii. How the bandgap of the a-Si can be tuned? Why it’s difficult to
diffuse Ge heavily iii. Describe the structure and working principle of an a-Si:H solar
cell with band diagram. iv. Why pin structure is preferred to pn structure in amorphous
Si thin film preparation?
v. Why a-Si solar cell is called drift device? vi. How dangling bonds are created in a-
Si and they are generally passivated? 1. What is Staebler-Wronski effect?
How it can be reduced? vii. What is spectrum splitting and solar cell
stacking? viii. Multijunction vs. tandem solar cell?
ix. What is a micromorph tandem silicon solar cell?
1. How a mircomorph utilizes better solar spectrum than that of a microcrystalline
or
amorphous structure? 2. What is a recombination tunnel junction? 3.

Describe the structure and working principle a micromorph. c. CIGS i. Why

hetero junction devices are preferred to homo junction devices?

ii. Describe the general structure of CIGS based solar cell in substrate configuration. iii.
What is the role of Buffer layer there? iv. What is CIGS and how the bandgap of
the alloy can be tuned?
v. What is electron tunneling? vi. Describe the structure and fabrication of CIGS solar
cell vii. Describe the working principle of a CIGS film with electronic band
diagram viii. Why molybdenum is preferred in CIGS? Its role in band diagram
ix. Describe the Role of Sodium in CIGS solar cell/ why soda lime glass is preferred in
CIGS
based solar cell manufacturing? x. What are the challenges of CIGS thin films? xi. Why

interest in CZTS is increasing to replace the CIGS absorber layer? d. CdTe i. Describe

the general structure of CdTe based solar cell in substrate configuration.

ii. What is the role of Buffer layer there?
iii. How the bandgap of the alloy can be tuned? iv. Describe the working
 principle of a CdTe film with electronic band diagram
v. Why Al-ZnO for TCO is not preferred here like CIGS vi. Why copper
containing back contacts are not preferred here

e. GaAs i. Describe the properties of GaAs as solar cell absorber layer

ii. Why homo junction is not preferred here iii. Describe the structure and working
principle of heterojunction GaAs solar cell iv. Challenges and scopes f. Organic
i. Describe the fundamental differences of organic and inorganic solar cell ii.
HOMO and LUMO
1. Why Charge transport by hopping 2. Charge separation principle 3. 5 important
processes in organic solar cell iii. Planner and bulk heterojunction structure, working

principle with band diagrams iv. Why buffer layers or EBL & HBL layers g. DSSC i.

Describe the structure and fabrication of DSSC solar cell

ii. Describe working principle of DSSC solar cell iii. Why high bandgap
mesoporous Titanium dioxide is preferred in DSSC iv. What are the challenges
of DSSC thin films? h. Perovskites
i. Structure ii. Properties and advantages iii. Fabrication and operation of perovskite solar
cell with two EBL & HBL layer only iv. Fabrication and operation of perovskite solar cell
with DSSC i. Quantum dots
i. Light absorption loss for thermalization and low energy lights ii.
Principle of multiple excition generation iii. Material preference
for Quantum dots, properties of QD iv. QD in DSSC
v. Down conversion